Thanks to everyone for their responses above regarding the use of plywood in frames. My contention was that it wasn't safe to simply say that the use of plywood is a negative, as my research indicated it can in fact be a positive. I think the take home message is that craftsmanship is obviously the most important factor in play. Whether that craftsman's choice of material speaks about their work is another debate entirely.
In any event, I've heard back from the folks at LeatherGroups in response to my questions about the suspension and request for frame construction photos. As it turns out, my assumption on the 8-way hand tied upgrade being drop-in was incorrect, this is done the traditional way -- frame attached and each point tied, no looping shortcuts.
Following are frame pictures. As it turns out, LG indicates that furniture plywood is used only on the arms for shaping. I'd welcome opinions on the construction shown. It looks quality to me, but I'm not educated on these matters. I've compared it to other frame construction pictures I've found at it looks comparable. My confidence is building.
If not linked elsewhere in the thread, this is the sofa in it's finished form:
https://www.leathergroups.com/cart/c...ofa-p-452.html
In my opinion, Engineered plywood is never a plus (unless you like having out-gassing of chemicals and glues in your home which is what binds the chips and sawdust and particles together) and enjoy the lack of rigidity of a plywood frame.
That frame looks good. Go for it.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
Duane,
Glad to hear you like the looks of that frame. That further builds my confidence.
All the discussion about plywood in a vertical span seems to have been moot (in this case anyway), as the plywood is only on the arms. Although in this additional picture it looks like it might be across the front and side floor span as well. Hard to tell.
I also realized I forgot to attach one photo, I've attached it here.
Pending any other questions on my part or feedback contrary to yours on the frame photos, I think we're going to proceed. Thanks again to everyone for their thoughtful feedback throughout the thread.
Greenlander, did you ever purchase the Lancaster lookalike from LeatherGroup? I am also looking for a similar sofa at a reasonable price. I am trying to figure out why you liked the Leather Group better than Casco Bay? They offer more info about the quality of their frames, suspension system and leather. (http://cascobayfurniture.com/pages.php?pID=9&CDpath=0) Before I purchase I will ask them to send some build shots as well.
Has anyone else had any experience with Casco Bay? I am sure there is better furniture out there, but to be honest, $3k for a sofa is on the top end of my budget as it is... so just looking for the best value in that range in a style that I like. Restoration hardware is having a 20% sale at this time and I was about to pull the trigger, but if I can get the same look with better quality, made in USA and $600 cheaper, seems like the way to go...
I went through this whole process and spent quite a bit of time on it. I considered Casco Bay as well, but ultimately decided to go with LeatherGroups for a couple of reasons.
While Casco seemed pretty good, If I'm going to buy furniture like this over the internet, I like to know who I'm dealing with. I did some research on Casco and when searching their address, I found it to be the address of a shipping company, with no business named Casco Bay doing business there:
Google this: (The address is the same address supplied on Casco's website as their address.)
Peace Transport Inc
603 Salem Street, Thomasville, NC 27360-2808
Seemed a little weird to me, and when I did a reverse lookup on their phone #, it shows to be a cell phone?
I'm not saying they aren't a legitimate business, but if they are, I couldn't verify them through any of the public records. When I asked them about it their answer was: "You won't find us in the BBB because we haven't had any complaints yet" I didn't ask about that, but, ok.
As I mentioned, they're probably decent enough, but I'm a little uneasy handing my credit card over on a $8k purchase when I can't tell who I'm doing business with.
The guy at Casco was helpful, but so was LeatherGroups.com and they gave me tons of extra information and assistance, just like they did with the Greenlander. In my case I was customizing the dimensions and adding some nail head trim. Overall I just felt like I could tell the product was good, but I think for me it all boiled down to the fact that I could tell who I was doing business with. No offense to the guy at Casco. Maybe you could work on providing your customers with more good info so customers could feel more comfortable about doing business with you.
Glad to be through with this process and I'm just happy I'll still get to catch some of the rest of the NFL season sitting on my new sectional! Go Eagles and thanks to everyone on this forum for the help.
Hi, I have some of the same questions / issues with LeatherGoods. I'm looking at the Braxton sectional which is roughly 3K less than the Restoration Hardware version. They look exactly the same, and apparently they get the Brompton Cocoa from the same leather producer in Italy. Did anybody buy a product from LeatherGoods.com on this thread. Any feedback?
Did any of you buy a Lancaster sofa?
Yes, my wife and I are in the exact same situation right now. Has anyone bought from Leather Goods vs. RH? I would love to hear any reviews. Thanks!
bump
You're not likely to find very many Restoration Hardware customers here.